Attorney General in VA starts witch hunt on Climate Change Professor under FRAU

[thundley4]

Nikki Stone1   (1000+ posts)         Wed May-26-10 02:06 PM
Original message
RW Attorney General in VA starts witch hunt on Climate Change Professor under FRAUD statute
   
VA Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II.

If you remember, this is the Attorney General who said that Virginia law did not allow public colleges "to adopt rules protecting gay employees or students from discrimination." Now, VA Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II is back in a witch hunt after a climate scientist. He is investigating Dr. Michael E. Mann, a University of VA professor for six years, for fraud under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act.

"Mr. Cuccinelli is relying on (the Act) in this instance because, he has said, "at least some information suggests" that Mr. Mann used research data that he knew was inaccurate to seek university grants while he was at Virginia.

So basically, the VA AG is charging a climate scientist with fraud because he applied for state grant money to study climate change, a field which, thanks to the Climate-gate emails is now considered questionable in some circles. Hold onto your hats.

(quoted newstory follows)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8422584

no_hypocrisy   (1000+ posts)           Wed May-26-10 02:09 PM
Response to Original message
2. Waste of taxpayer money. You can't prove a negative (there is no global warming).

Nikki Stone1   (1000+ posts)         Wed May-26-10 02:19 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. He's not trying to prove that. He is trying to prove FRAUD: that Mann knew climate change was false
   
or dubious when he asked for state funding. That can be "proved" by emails that demonstrate any doubt at all. Whether that's a high enough standard for the court is immaterial. Once it becomes public, Mann gets labeled a fraud and other academics in the field shy away from research. That's the fear.

kevinbgoode (1000+ posts)           Wed May-26-10 02:13 PM
Response to Original message
3. who the f*ck is this attorney general
   
to consider himself an expert on climate change? This crap about "and I think everybody already knows that his position on some of this is one that I question. . ." well, who gives a rat's ass what some ideologue mistakenly elected to attorney general in a state thinks? Honestly, the voters of Virginia already have more than enough to be embarassed about by electing right-wing ideologues to run their state into the ground...but the public really needs to step on this clown and remind him that he wasn't elected to pursue some looney tune agenda dictated to him by ideological masters.

robinblue (360 posts)           Wed May-26-10 02:29 PM
Response to Original message
7. good lord. what next!

I dunno, but if Mann is convicted, it would pretty much kill Cap and Tax.  I don't understand why the DUmmies are for Cap and Tax. It's another giveaway to big corporations at the expense of everyone else.

[DumbAss Tanker]

I don't understand why the DUmmies are for Cap and Tax. It's another giveaway to big corporations at the expense of everyone else.

It's the vision thing.  They can't see past the unicorn picture to see what's actually propping it up, or how it's going to be paid for.

[jukin]

When this guy comes up for reelection, I will be sending a very generous contribution.

[Ballygrl]

And there's a problem with this? Globull Warming has been a scam to begin with and who got rich off of it? Al Gore. Every dime invested in a study etc. should be given back and the scammers prosecuted. 

[VivisMom]

This Mann asshat is now a prof at Penn State. My husband is an alum, and we got weekly calls asking us to donate to the school. My husband, very politely but in no uncertain terms, told them that PSU will not be getting one red cent from us until Mann is fired for his actions.

Funny, they haven't called us since. 

[blitzkrieg_17]

Go Cuccinelli. Following the Chris Christie path, a Republican prosecutor with guts.

[diesel driver]

I knew there was a good reason I voted for Cuccinelli! 

Go get 'em!

[Doc Savage]

3. who the f*ck is this attorney general
   
to consider himself an expert on climate change? This crap about "and I think everybody already knows that his position on some of this is one that I question. . ." well, who gives a rat's ass what some ideologue mistakenly elected to attorney general in a state thinks

Substitue Al Gore for the Attorney General and you are a freeper denier butthole.  If Gore can be an expert, so can another attorney for all I care.

[AllosaursRus]

3. who the f*ck is this attorney general
   
to consider himself an expert on climate change? This crap about "and I think everybody already knows that his position on some of this is one that I question. . ." well, who gives a rat's ass what some ideologue mistakenly elected to attorney general in a state thinks

Hey DIpshit! I think he is an expert in fraud, idiot! He's not trying to prove globull warming one way or another. He's accusing the prof of lying in order to get taxpayer cash! A frikkin' felony, asshat!